Join us as actor, teacher, and playwright, Anna Deavere Smith, shares her brass tacks advice for aspiring artists of all stripes. Her latest work, "Letters to a Young Artist", will challenge you, motivate you, and set you on a course to pursue your art without compromise. In vividly anecdotal letters to the young BZ, she addresses the full spectrum of issues that people starting out will face: from questions of confidence, discipline, and self-esteem, to fame, failure, and fear, to staying healthy, presenting yourself effectively, building a diverse social and professional network, and using your art to promote social change.
Ms. Smith has won two Obie Awards, two Tony nominations for her play "Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992", and a MacArthur Fellowship. She was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for her play "Fires in the Mirror". She has had roles in the films "Philadelphia", "An American President", "The Human Stain", and "Rent", and she has worked in television on "The Practice", "Presidio Med", and "The West Wing". She is also the founder and director of the Institute on the Arts and Civic Dialogue.